Lotus' faceless ad campaign

Lotus has launched a weird ‘Faceless People’ viral advertising campaign to drum up interest in its forthcoming Eagle.

The campaign has people dressing up in Halloween-style masks, which make them look like they have no face. So far the ‘faceless aliens’ have attracted national press attention, turning up at Wimbledon and the Harrod’s Summer Sale. But until now their motivation was unclear.

Autocar understands that Lotus has employed a modern advertising agency to oversee a leftfield viral ad campaign for the Eagle, as part of a brand image re-launch. The campaign’s website, www.facelesspeople.com, features nothing but a countdown which coincides with the Eagle launch.

The ‘faceless’ element of the campaign suggests that the 2+2 we’ve known as the Eagle throughout its development will actually get a different name.Lotus wants to move upmarket - to be considered a rival for the likes of Porsche - and this new approach to marketing is one experimental part of that process.